UK partners with World Economic Forum on AI procurement

The United Kingdom is to partner with the World Economic Forum to develop the first Artificial Intelligence procurement policy.

The WEF intends to bring governments, businesses, start-ups and civil society together to co-design guidelines to empower governments to responsibly deploy and design AI technology for the benefit of citizens.

The UK is the first country to partner with the WEF’s Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution on this project. The partnership will involve sending a government secondee to the Centre in San Francisco to create these new guidelines.

“Governments’ significant buying power can drive private-sector adoption of these standards even for products that are sold beyond government,” said Kay Firth-Butterfield, head of artificial intelligence at the World Economic Forum. “The future of AI needs government and businesses to work together. I’m thrilled to have the United Kingdom partner with the Centre on this project.”

UK digital minister Margot James said: “Artificial intelligence has huge potential benefits and it is right that the public sector is helping to lead the way. Our collaboration with the World Economic Forum on AI will keep the UK at the forefront of this revolutionary technology.”